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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: snap · wound · bore · scale · net · band · spell · cabinet

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. band — a ring
  3. spell — letters
  4. scale — size or range
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. spell — a short time
  8. snap — to click
  9. spell — magic
  10. net — after costs
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. bore — to drill
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. wound — an injury
  16. net — for catching
  17. net — in sport
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. band — a music group
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. bore — to tire
  22. scale — in music
  23. wound — an injury
  24. snap — to snap out of it

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com